Dragon's tale
by jeannie81
Summary: (AU) Draco's life takes a sudden turn when he saves Harry from Voldemort. Rated R for possible future chapters.
1. Release me

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or characters from the book. This work of fiction is only for entertainment purposes.  
  
**A/N:** This is kind of a pet project for me, definitely the most I've ever written so far, BUT it's not finished, not even halfway there, even though I have everything outlined. This will be **SLASH**, so if you don't like male/male relationships, don't read this. And no stupid review on 'slash is bad' either, because I've warned you beforehand and I'm not forcing you to read slash. Other than that, please review the story constructively (so, yay critisism, as long as it's not 'you suck, die'), because I definitely want to improve my writing, so any constructive critic reviews will be hugely appreciated.  
  
**Warning(s):** There might be some spoilers from OotP (and the previous books) here, but this essentially is an Alternative Universe.  
  
**Pairing(s):** unrequited Harry/Draco, Severus/Remus

**Chapter one – Release me**  
  
"_That_ was Voldemort!?"  
  
Draco's mind was reeling. The Dark Lord, the wizard his father had gushed about all those years, their saviour, the one who was going to cleanse the world of all those Muggles and Mudbloods, was nothing more than a monster.  
  
Draco might almost have mistaken it for a man, had he not seen those feline eyes, that pallid, almost illumine skin and those Dementor-like hands. Voldemort was definitely not what Draco had imagined and there was no disguising the disgust and disappointment in his voice.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore seemed amused. He probably wasn't even surprised that Draco had said Voldemort's name with such ease.  
  
"And on behalf of Harry Potter and, of course, the Hogwarts faculty, I would like to express my gratitude for rescuing him from the hands of the Dark Lord. Naturally, there will be an award ceremony, presenting you wi-"  
  
"NO! No, there's definitely no need for an award ceremony, sir." _'Especially not a public one'_ Draco muttered under his breath.  
  
"But Mr. Malfoy, surely you should be commended for your heroic deed?"  
  
Draco really couldn't stand that damned all-knowing tone.  
  
"No sir, that's quite alright. May I be excused now?"  
  
What he really needed was some time to think.  
  
"Of course, Mr Malfoy. You and Mr. Potter have the day off tomorrow, to recuperate from the _trying_ event."  
  
"Thank you sir."  
  
Draco was so occupied in his thoughts he barely noticed the soothing tones the Headmaster's phoenix was crooning for him while he was leaving.  
  
---  
  
The night found Draco sitting by the lake, contemplating his future. He'd always imagined himself a Death Eater; the most important man to Voldemort, next to his father of course. He'd imagined a glorious –but short- war lead by a most glorious man –he envisioned Voldemort to be somewhat like the handsome Salazar Slytherin he saw in the history books. Their victory would of course be celebrated with a ball in the third (and largest) ballroom at the Mansion where Draco would be able to rub in the Gryffindork trio's faces how he had been right all along and how he always knew they were barely fit to be serve his House-elves.  
  
But now it seemed that it was them that had been right all along. The goody goody Griffindorks, who didn't see the necessity in separating the magical and muggle world, had always been on the good side. Of course, Draco hadn't seen the necessity in killing muggles either, but he had seen it as an extreme way of getting the point across. After all, Draco himself hadn't been above using sinister methods to get his way. No, Draco had seen and felt the evil energy that was Voldemort and it was nothing like the magnificent king he had envisioned. If this was the man, no, _thing_ his father was following then it was time for Draco to choose another path.  
  
"Alright, Malfoy?"  
  
Draco looked up to Potter, who looked distinctively nervous.  
  
"Potter. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to thank you. I really thought I was going to die back there. I don't know how they got so close without anybody noticing."  
  
Potter shuffled, looked indecisive for a second and then sat next to Draco. "I thought you wanted to follow Voldemort? You were always prattling on about how I was going to die horribly at the hands of your precious Dark Lord."  
  
Potter was looking at him like he was trying to figure him out. Draco snorted.  
  
"That was before I knew Voldemort was a cross between a basilisk and a Dementor."  
  
Potter smiled. Draco realised he hadn't seen that smile in a long while.  
  
"You're not even afraid of saying his name, are you?"  
  
"No, not really," Draco drawled. "Fear never really did anything for me."  
  
Potter snickered. "You know what Malfoy? You really are something."  
  
They sat in silence for a while. Draco wondered how he was going to tell this to his parents. For the first time in his life he was afraid of confronting them. His parents always pulled through for him. Even though it was his father he always threatened with, his mother was the one that always got things done. He used to tell his father that his mother wore the wizard's hat in the house when he wanted to rile him up.  
  
But now he wasn't so sure about the outcome. He'd heard how Marcus Flint had received the Cruciatus curse from both Voldemort and his father after he failed some ridiculously insignificant assignment. If he had received such a severe punishment for a simple thing, then Draco wasn't sure he'd get out of this with even a limb intact.  
  
Draco sighed and got up. By the end of the week the students would be heading home. He needed to tell his friends what had happened and what he'd decided. Their parents were Death Eaters as well, so he couldn't hide at any of their houses, but maybe one of them had an abandoned summerhouse he could use. He was about to leave when Potter called him back.  
  
"Malfoy, I was wondering. You're not all bad if you're not going to be a Death Eater-"  
  
Draco huffed at that.  
  
"And I really appreciate what you did for me. I hope this can be a new start, I hope we can be friends."  
  
Potter held out his right hand. It was a gesture Draco had imagined many times in his life. He had always figured there'd be more grovelling and begging on Potter's behalf. Some part of him wanted to put up a fight, make things more difficult for Potter, but Draco was just too damned tired. If he was going to defy his parents, he'd need all the help he could get. And besides, he figured, Potter owed him a wizard's debt now, it was always best to keep those people close in case you needed to cash in on that debt.  
  
Draco shook his hand. It was a monumental moment and Draco was a bit disappointed that they were the only wizards to witness it.  
  
"You're on Potter. Friends it is."  
  
**End Chapter one**


	2. Heard it through the grapevine

**Chapter 2 – Heard it through the grapevine**  
  
Vincent and Gregory were waiting for him in the common room. They ushered him into their dorm, where Blaise was sitting on his bed.  
  
Draco couldn't believe that in a just few months, he would come back to this dorm to spend his last year at Hogwarts. That is, if he survived these next few months.  
  
As soon as the door closed, Vince cast a silencing charm in the room and sat down next to Blaise and Greg.  
  
"What happened, Draco?" Blaise enquired. "One minute, we're heading for the carriages and the next you're nowhere to be found."  
  
Draco sat down heavily on his bed. He wasn't sure how he was going to put this, but his friends needed to know, so that they could escape Voldemort as well.  
  
"I forgot my extra supply of sweets, so I went back to Honeydukes to get some. When I came back the carriages had already left. Glad to know my absence was duly noticed," Draco scoffed, glaring at his friends.  
  
"I decided to go through the woods, casting an Accelerare on myself, so I could get here the same time as the carriages. I'm speeding through the woods when I trip on something and nearly sock my head on a rock.  
  
"I look back, but there's nothing there. I was hoping I didn't trip on some wild Thestral's foot, so I waited, but there's nothing there. I start to get up to leave, but my feet are caught in something...a bloody invisibility cloak, when I take a closer look. I couldn't believe my luck! I mean who would leave such a precious thing lying around in the woods?"  
  
Here Draco's friends were staring at him in shock. After knowing him for so long, they knew when he told tall tales. But the look on his face was pure recollection. Draco was too busy telling his story to notice his friends' looks.  
  
"I forgot all about school, I decided to wander around with the cloak before returning to Hogwarts. I was mucking about for a bit, when I heard some screams. Now you know I'd have run off, but I was feeling rather bold and curious with the cloak on and the screams were somehow familiar. The closer I came the louder the cries became and more noises could be heard.  
  
"I creep closer to this clearing and there are about six cloaked men there in a circle all jabbering and snickering at some thing lying in the middle, with another creature looming over it. When I come closer, I can hear what they're nattering on about and it shakes me to my bones.  
  
_'Can't save yourself now, can you Potter?' 'Luck's run out Potter, our Lord will finally get rid of you!' 'Dumbledore won't help you this time!' 'Let's give the Boy Who Lived a more appropriate scar!'_

"It was horrible. Potter was lying there all bloody and thrashing about in pain. That creature had a wand pointed at him and they were all laughing at Potter, watching him suffer. That's when I realized that they were Death Eaters. And if that was true then that thing pointing it's wand at Potter was Voldemort."  
  
Three boys flinched at that, but soon became enraptured in the story once again.  
  
"I almost threw up at the thought of my father being there somewhere gloating at Potter's torture. That could've been me lying there!  
  
"I went back to the place I tripped and made a portkey out of a stone I found. I made my way back to the clearing as soundlessly as I could manage. I crouched next to Potter as Voldemort was about to cast his next fatal spell on Potter. I managed to get the portkey into his hands and watched him disappear. I used the Death Eaters' surprised state to Disapparate the hell out of there."  
  
At that, Draco fell back on his bed. He was positively exhausted after that monologue.  
  
"Where'd you portkey Potter to?"  
  
"You found an invisibility cloak?"  
  
"YOU saved POTTER?!?"  
  
Vince started pacing around the room.  
  
"I can't believe this Draco! We were sure you were going to follow your father. It's all we ever hear about. And now you've saved POTTER?!?! After all the plans we made, we'd already given up on...Draco. Does this mean what I assume it means?"  
  
During his rant the boys had looked on a bit dazed. Vince ranting meant that this was a serious case indeed. And what did he mean by 'given up', Draco wondered.  
  
"Yes, I'm not going to become a Death Eater, Vince. How could I? It could have been any one of us. Terence isn't pureblood, what if it had been him? And they we're _really _enjoying torturing Potter. It was gruesome."  
  
"Draco," Greg started, after a quick look at the other boys.  
  
"We were never going to follow the Dark Lord. At the beginning of the year we went to Professor Snape. You know, after we heard that he had been a spy? He's arranged for us to stay around some acquaintances of his while they settle the war. Our parents don't know, but we'll disappear right after graduation. We didn't know how to get you to join us. You we're always so hell-bent on joining your father."  
  
"Like I said, Greg, I'm not planning on offing anyone, so don't worry. But I do have to tell my parents. I can't just run off like some half-wit Gryffindor. I need to know where I stand with them."  
  
"Now, before I go on with my story I was so rudely interrupted from, Blaise, you silly twit-"  
  
"Hey, I resent that!" Blaise exclaimed.  
  
"I can't believe the invisibility cloak's the thing that impressed you the most." Blaise just rolled his eyes in amusement.  
  
"Now, hold your questions until I'm done. We can discuss everything afterwards." Draco said. He so hated to be interrupted.  
  
"The portkey was set to uncle Severus' house. It was the only place I could think of. When I Apparated there, the house-elves were moving Potter, so I told then to move him to a guestroom. When they left us alone, I decided to fire-call the headmaster.  
  
"I don't think he realised what I was saying, but just the same he appeared a minute later with uncle and Madam Pomfrey. Well, she immediately started for Potter and the Headmaster was staring at me. I think he was wondering how to approach me. Uncle Severus was muttering something about a Potter in his sacred house, but who could blame him. I'd be pretty pissed as well," Draco said with a grin.  
  
"The Headmaster asked me what happened, so I told him, but he made uncle give me Veritaserum first and he checked my wand as well. I mean, honestly, would I have taken Potter to uncle's place and then called them to come take care of him if I meant for him to die? Anyway, after I told them everything under Veritaserum, we checked up on Potter, who hadn't sustained any permanent damage –luckily, or all my hard work would've been for nothing- and then we prepared for Hogwarts.  
  
"At Hogwarts they put Potter in the Infirmary for even more check-ups, although it was pretty obvious at uncle's house that he'd recovered, and the Headmaster took me to his office to discuss my reward."  
  
The boys perked up at that.  
  
"Reward? What did you get?" Greg asked, he was probably imagining one of a culinary variety.  
  
"I didn't stay log enough to hear about it. Do you know what a reward means?"  
  
Six confused eyes were pointed his way.  
  
"It means an award ceremony, you gits. A _public_ award ceremony. With the media and more importantly, _my parents_! Idiots," Draco muttered. Sometimes he wondered if his friends lived on the same planet as he did.  
  
"I'd rather not let the Death Eaters find out that I was the one who spoilt their little get together with Potter."  
  
It was silent for a while. Everybody was mulling over the information they'd received. Finally Greg spoke.  
  
"It's late guys, I say we get to bed and straighten things up in our heads. We'll have a lot to deal with tomorrow."  
  
The rest agreed. Draco went to bed, not believing all the revelations he'd had in one day. He couldn't help feeling a little –okay, a lot- insecure about his future. He hoped he would have one after he faced his parents. Little did he know that would come sooner than he thought.  
  
**End of Chapter 2**

A/N: So, this was chapter 2. Hate it? Love it? Drop me a review ok? Btw, I re-edited my AN's and such on the first chappie. I hope things are clearer . Next up will be Draco's confrontation with his parents. Dum dum duuuuum -.


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